Law enforcement reported that an attack on a Shia Muslim mosque in Oman late on Monday left one Indian dead and another injured. The attack also resulted in a total of nine deaths, including the three attackers. The attack injured more than two dozen other people.
Pakistani, Indian, and Omani officials reported a gun attack that killed four Pakistanis, an Indian, and a police officer. The Oman police reported that 28 people of various nationalities, including security personnel, were wounded. Police have not said whether they have identified a motive for the attack or if they had made any arrests. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the attackers.
The attack marks a rare breach of security in one of the most stable and strategically located countries in West Asia.
The Indian Embassy in Muscat tweeted:
Following the shooting incident reported in Muscat city on 15 July, Foreign Ministry of Sultanate of Oman has informed that one Indian national has lost his life & another is injured. Embassy offers its sincere condolences & stands ready to offer all assistance to the families.
— India in Oman (Embassy of India, Muscat) (@Indemb_Muscat) July 16, 2024
Investigators believe the attackers targeted a group of Shias from Asia. Omani counterterrorism forces engaged with the attackers.
Some Pakistanis were detained by law enforcement while fleeing the attack and were later released. Others remain in detention.
Police have not said whether they have identified a motive for the attack or if they had made any arrests. Investigators are still keeping the attackers’ identities under wraps.
Shias observe Ashura, an annual day of mourning. It commemorates the 7th-century martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala against the Umayyad Caliph Yazid. Hussein is the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad.
The Royal Oman Police stated that they have implemented all necessary security measures to control the situation. They are actively gathering evidence and conducting investigations to uncover the details behind the incident.
Police did not identify the suspects in the attack or provide a motive.
As a matter of fact, in a statement, the Royal Oman Police said “Dealt with the shooting incident in the vicinity of a mosque in the Wadi Al Kabir region. It resulted in the death of four people and injury to a number of others, according to preliminary information.”
The Pakistani foreign ministry acknowledged it as a “terrorist attack”. It issued a statement commending the Omani government for neutralizing the attackers.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered Oman full assistance in the investigation:
Deeply saddened by the terrorist attack on Imam Bargah Ali bin Abu Talib in Muscat, Oman, resulting in the loss of precious lives, including 4 Pakistani nationals. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. I have instructed the Pakistan Embassy in Muscat to extend all…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 16, 2024
Additionally, the U.S. embassy in Muscat said it was following reports of the shooting incident.
In fact, “U.S. citizens should remain vigilant, monitor local news and heed directions of local authorities,” it said in a statement.
Oman has maintained its neutrality in the turbulent region and mediated in disputes, including between the United States and Iran.
(With Reuters Inputs)
